One of the most anticipated games of the year is launching today as Star Wars: The Old Republic is now available for the PC in North America and Europe. Fans of the series have been looking forward to this day since the title was originally announced by BioWare and LucasArts over three years ago.

The Old Republic is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) based in the Star Wars universe. Rumored to have a development cost of over $135 million, it could be one of the most expensive games ever made. Those who pre-ordered the title online were granted early access in waves based on pre-order date.

The game is set in the Star Wars universe 300 years after the events in Knights of the Old Republic and over 3,500 years before the plots from the films. Players can choose to side with the Galactic Republic or the Sith Empire, each with different classes of characters to choose from. There are eight different classes; four per faction, with the classes of one faction mirroring those of the other, just with different names. Each class also has two different advanced classes to select from as you advance your character through the game.

Furthermore, each class has their own starship and will be accompanied by up to seven companions based on the storyline: five default companions and two secret companions available through other measures. These companions can perform various tasks for the player including crafting, gathering and mission-related acts.

Subscription pricing has been set at $14.99 per month, $41.97 for three months or $77.94 for six months. This places it in the same price-point as WoW, Rift and Eve.